Reasons for Anti-stem Cell Research
The medical advances and its various researches are always surrounded by one or more controversies. Several countries in the world mix science and politics to gain unprecedented control and power over the State. One such debate is witnessed in the United States where the stem cell research has given rise to several opposition from pro-life activists. However, one of the main reasons for anti-stem cell research is it is vehemently opposed by the Conservatives.
However, what are stem cells, and what is stem cell research, why there was a need for anti-stem cell research? You all need to know this. Let us start with what exactly is a Stem Cell Research? A stem cell research is pointed towards the potential that certain types of cells, known as stem cells have the power of regenerating the damaged tissues in the body. This type of research holds the key of reversing the effects of aging and also provides several benefits in the fields of therapeutic cloning and regenerative medicine.
However, every coin has a flip side and stem cell research is no exception. It gives rise to many controversies that affect several pro-life people both ethically and morally. The first reason for many people to turn anti-stem cell research was its morality. Many believed that the stem cells used in the research were extracted from embryos. They termed it as a new face of abortion and hence regarded it as unethical and unconventional.
In addition, one of the main reasons for anti-stem cell research was that the Catholic Church also supported the anti-stem cell research. They thought that the stem cell research involved the destruction of human embryos. Moreover, Pope John Paul II equated stem cell research with euthanasia, abortion and other attacks on innocent life. Many supporters of anti-stem cell research including Jewish Rabbis argued that the research was cheapening the value of human life. They opposed the deliberate production of pre-human embryos.
The scientific incompetency of stem cell is the other reason for anti-stem cell research. It raises more and more scientific questions as rapidly as it generates new discoveries. The anti-stem cell research gathered momentum when it was found that there was a possibility of tumor formation and un-targeted cell development. The other reason for anti-stem cell research was the use of adult cells in the research. It was believed that these cells were programmed to act like embryonic cells and were unsafe for human use as they showed the characteristics of forming cells and tumors on the wrong organs.
The subject of human stem cell research still remains a debatable question and we hope that scientists will come with scientific innovations that will have the advantages of stem cells sans any controversies.
Related posts:
